I get the distinct impression from reading most of this that you want the skills to be balanced ,so everyone deals out the same damage.
That would be so boring, if everything did the same damage for the sake of "balance"...sure people might choose magic more than other skills because it's more powerful. So? It's also possible to choose ranged fighting (for example) just for the sake of it and enjoy it. Just because magic is more powerful doesn't mean you need to use it exclusively. There's also the fact that one can level magic, melee, and ranged, for example, and alternate between them.
Note, this coming from a melee fighter.
Personally I think it's not an issue of damage only, but overall spice, interest, and variety within combat types. And that's lacking within magic as much as in melee.
For example, I've discovered I really like blowing things up. So, my Fyros character is going to become a range fighter.
Mages are supposed to be Powerfull.
Yes, thank you.
in full hvy with jewels i can solo a mob and get 3k xp, as a mage soloing the same mob I get killed.
Yep, mages are saps with no stamina.
Ermm...I think I drowned my own points in too many words...now I'm not even sure what I meant to say. XD
I'm confused now.
EDIT #5: Ok, I have one more point to add. I like to have a healer or afflictionist (STUN RULES!) in a team who can switch to high-damage elemental on a moment's notice in case of adds. In which case, their being able to kill things quickly (assuming they can get hits in without interruption) saves the team.
If healing and ele was nerfed, the instant an add the team can't handle wanders over, it's like "WE'RE F***ED NOW, RUN! ...hey is anyone still alive? ...wipe ...*sigh* *switch to region* anyone around for a rez?"
Does everything have to be so "challenging" and 250centric to please the old players who have no "endgame" that it becomes impossible for lower level players, forcing them to hunt things that won't give them 3000 experience just so they can not get killed?
EDIT #6: And if heal is nerfed, that means lower level healers will progress slower because people only want the healers who can heal 500HP+ per heal, and after the nerf it'd take twice as long to get to that point. And really much much longer because, as aforementioned, no one will want lower level healers in their team.
I may be totally off-base, or incorrect. If so, nuke me. =P